===Outbreak of war===
The Ottoman Empire began massacring Assyrians Chaldean in the nineteenth century, a time of friendly relations between the Ottomans and the British, who were defending the Ottomans from the Russian Empire's efforts to include under its protection the communities of Ottoman Orthodox Christians.<ref name="Travis2"/> In October 1914, the Ottoman Empire began deporting and massacring Assyrians Chaldeans and Armenians in [[Van]].<ref name="Travis2"/> After attacking Russian cities and declaring war on Britain and France, the Empire declared a holy war on Christians.<ref name="Travis2"/> The German Kaiser and the German Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire directed and orchestrated the holy war, and financed the Ottomans' war against the Russian Empire.<ref name="Travis2"/>
===Responsibility of the Ottoman government===